Temple defeats LIU Brooklyn 101-65

NEW YORK -- Senior guard Dalton Pepper scored a season-high 26 points to lead Temple in a 101-65 win over LIU Brooklyn on Saturday night.

The Owls (5-5), who entered the contest off of consecutive 1-point losses, put this one away early. Temple outscored the Blackbirds 33-13 over the final 16:15 of the first half for a 16-point lead at the break. It quickly extended the margin to 25 early in the second half, and never looked back.

Temple shot 15 of 27 from beyond the 3-point arc. Will Cummings scored 23 for Temple, while Quentin DeCosey chipped in with 19 to get the Owls back in the win column.

The Blackbirds (4-7) were plagued by first-half shooting woes. They were a dismal 6 of 26 from the floor, on their way to 28.8 percent for the game. E.J Reed and Gerell Martin scored 13 each for LIU Brooklyn.

The Owls used a combination of dribble penetration and stellar outside shooting to light up the scoreboard as LIU Brooklyn had no answer for the high-powered offense. All five Temple starters reached double figures, with Pepper leading the way. Temple has scored more than 80 points in five out of the last six games, and topped the century mark for the first time Saturday.

In addition to balanced scoring, Temple played a stifling defense, denying the Blackbirds easy baskets inside, and forcing a large number of low-percentage shots.

The Blackbirds struggled in making their shots and were dogged by foul trouble. Forwards Landon Atterberry and Glenn Feidanga both fouled out with more than 10 minutes to play. Their tentative play and subsequent ejections from the contest gave Temple the advantage on the interior.

The 36-point margin nearly doubled what was previously Temple's largest of the season, a 19-point win over UAB back on Nov. 24. The Owls extended their lifetime record against LIU Brooklyn to 4-0, though this was the first meeting between the two squads in 43 years.